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Within this song "Miss America", audiences are placed in a hotel room near JFK airport, as the musician learns a heartbreaking news of her father's illness discovery. The UK-raised artist had been touring the US on her initial visit, drumming with group Kero Kero Bonito, and suddenly sadness takes over, coloring all with melancholy. Faltering keys and hushed strings accompany dark reports from the road: "Cattle farm and broke down shack / Shopping centers, illicit trades, anxious moments."

Walton's gentle singing are delivered with a deadpan style, while this album's intensity stems from the sharp writing—blending stories, folksy sayings, and blunt diary entries—along with surprising rich textures. Not many tracks this year showcase more potent storytelling style than "Shelly", which describes the death of a deer and spirals into a fuel-soaked confrontation, evoking written pieces lit with flickers of distorted cello. Anxious, quiet verses featuring echoing, plucked guitar move to grand refrains, and Walton's vocals electronically altered into something all-knowing and menacing.

Listeners may previously be familiar with Walton as an electronic producer, DJ, and member in groups like Caroline. Daughters' musical twists draw on this diverse background. The first track "Sometimes" erupts in flourish, like an ensemble caught by surprise, whereas "Born Again Backwards" radically ups the tempo via a punishing, beautiful, looping drum fill. Thick walls of sound, expertly produced by a longtime collaborator, feel at once rough and ethereal, and her dark, magical thoughts culminate in highlight "Lambs", a song that momentarily transforms into a twirling dance. "May your life never end in death," she bargains, with poignant dark comedy.